The present invention is generally directed to fuel cells incorporated into desalination systems.
The world's population is increasing due to extensive urbanization across the globe. In many locations there are often not enough natural resources to keep up with the growing demand. One natural resource that is lacking is potable water. The lack of potable water is also a problem on sailing vessels. In areas where potable water is scarce, there are often sources of salinated water, such as the ocean or seas. However this water needs to be desalinated. In order to desalinate the water, even more resources are required, namely energy needed to power the desalination systems and to generate steam used in the desalination process.
Conventional power plants have been employed to power desalination equipment. However, the power plants cannot power desalination equipment located in remote locations that are not connected to the power grid. Furthermore, even where the desalination equipment is connected to the power grid, a power interruption would also interrupt the supply of clean drinking water.